


First Encounters

by itisatruthuniversallyacknowledged



Series: First Encounters and Subsequent Conversations [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Gen, Jason Todd is (almost) Robin, Light Angst, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 23:03:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18433934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisatruthuniversallyacknowledged/pseuds/itisatruthuniversallyacknowledged
Summary: Dick Grayson comes to visit the manor and talk to Bruce about his new ward. He does not expect to run into him. Jason only wanted to read in the library. He did not expect find the former Robin sleeping on the couch. Neither of them quite know what to do.





	First Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> So Jason Todd has been living with Bruce Wayne for about a month now training to be Robin and Dick Grayson has been spending a lot of time with the Titans which is why they haven't met before now.

Dick’s whole body ached from some superficial bruising and a bone deep tiredness. It had been a long week. A long week that was ending with him back at the manor for the weekend. He’d meant to come earlier but had gotten held up stopping a minor scale alien invasion with the Titans. He probably would not have come at all, easily getting wrapped up in clean up and other managerial tasks, if Kori hadn’t insisted that they had it handled and Wally hadn’t practically shoved him out the door. Knowing that Bruce was probably on patrol and not wanting to disturb Alfred, he had climbed through the window and immediately crashed on the couch in the library, not even bothering to turn on the lights. He’d meant to only lay down briefly but he must have dozed off because he wasn’t sure how long he had been there when he was startled by the creak of the door.

  
He woke up with the sudden realization that he had been lying to himself. He had not climbed through the window out of a desire to not disturb Alfred; not completely anyway. He had a key to the house after all and he knows Alfred would be happy to see him despite the late hour. In reality he hadn’t wanted to risk running into Bruce. Anger had been churning in his gut ever since he had read the headline “Bruce Wayne Takes in New Ward” in the pages of the Gotham Gazette four days ago. Though he wanted to talk to Bruce about it, he was not sure he could without yelling at him. Going into a conversation with Bruce angry almost never ended well. This new awareness poured over him like cold sewer water (he knew the feeling exactly) in the two seconds it took him to realize that the footsteps entering the room were to light to ever be Bruce’s.

  
“Who are you?” screeched not-Bruce. Then, so fast he almost didn’t have time to catch it, a book was hurled at his head.

  
“Nice aim.” The compliment rolled off his tongue without thought. The next second he was sitting up straighter, examining this new person with a hard stare. They made eye contact and something like recognition fluttered across the boys face and his body relaxes, if by a miniscule amount. Dick continues to examine him despite the boys own hard stare. He’s small. Probably, Dick suspects, to small for his age; which he judges to be somewhere around twelve. All his clothes are brand new and they hang off his too thin frame.  
“So you want your book back.” He means to say it casually but it comes off as a challenge. The boy narrows his eyes at Dick.

  
“I don’t accept things from strangers.” His voice is young but with the hardened edge of someone much older.

  
“Well I live here so I think that makes you the stranger.” It could have been a lighthearted jab but instead it came out harsh, irritation ringing in every word. Something flickered across the kid’s face that made Dick instantly regret his words.

  
The look only lasted for a second and then his fists are clenched as he takes a step forward. “My name’s Jason. And I don’t know who you are but I live here now.”

  
_I don’t know who you are._ The confirmation that Bruce hadn’t told his new ward, Jason, anymore than he had told Dick about him rang in his ears. The feeling he’d been trying to ignore all week burned in his chest like acid. He didn’t even have a name for it; something like betrayal and hurt, but different; more potent. He threw himself back across the couch and took a deep breath. No matter what he felt it wasn’t fair to take it out on the kid. “Nice to meet you Jason. I’m Dick.” He was met by silence. “Do you want your book back?” He put the hand holding the book up in the air and kept it there for at least two minutes before tentative footsteps could be heard coming to his side of the couch. He opened his eyes to watch Jason snatch the book out of his hand as if it were the jaw of a lion. He turned to walk away but Dick stopped him.

  
“You don’t have to go. You can read here. I won’t bother you.” Jason stared at him like he thought he was insane, but after thirty seconds sat down in an armchair catty corner to the couch and opened his book. Neither of them spoke for which he was grateful. Something like curiosity had prompted him to make the invitation, but he was not sure he had the energy to maintain a civil conversation. He didn’t know what he was going to say when he saw Bruce. He closed his eyes and focused on the sound of turning pages and the brush of the tree branches against the window. He had only meant to clear his mind, but the exhaustion of the long day creeped over him and he drifted off again.

                                                             ************************************************

Dick was one of the strangest people Jason had ever met; which is saying a lot when you’ve grown up in Crime Alley. (He and his mom had once lived next to a woman who claimed she could psychically communicate with her canary). When he’d first enter the room he had prepared himself for a fight and it had taken him a moment to recognize Dick’s face from pictures around the manor. He had not known he would be there and Jason wondered if Bruce had forgot to tell him or if he had shown up unexpectedly. Between his initial shock at the unexpected encounter and Dick’s startling transitions from teasing, to challenging, to anger and then finally to open friendliness, Jason felt like he had emotional whiplash. Now he was sitting on a library armchair reading Tom Sawyer, while keeping an eye on the weirdo sleeping on the couch. He wonders if he should go get Bruce or Alfred and starts to get up several times before sitting back down. He thinks Bruce and Alfred might like to be informed of Dick’s presence (if they aren’t already aware), but he’s also worried that if he leaves something will happen and then he’ll be blamed for it. Dick looks noticeably bruised and Jason wonders if he needs medical attention. Should he even be sleeping if he has a concussion or something? He starts to get up again when the door opens and Bruce walks in.

  
“Jason. I was wondering where you -.” He stops abruptly, looking between Jason and Dick.

  
Jason squirms in his seat a little. “He was here when I got here and I was going to get you but I wasn’t sure I should leave him and-”

  
“You’re fine Jason.” Bruce interjects stopping his abrupt rush of words. He’s standing behind the couch now looking down at Dick and the expression on his face is starting to make Jason uncomfortable. He knows Dick used to be Robin, but he’s suddenly struck by how little he knows beyond that. They must have been close, Dick’s one of the few people Bruce has pictures of on the desk in his study, but why did he leave? And why was he back now?

  
“Did you-” Bruce stops. There is something off about his stance that has Jason tensing, looking for a threat even though he thinks Bruce would tell him if danger was imminent. “Did he say why he was here?” Jason thought Bruce seemed nervous, but that couldn’t be right. Batman didn’t get nervous.

  
“Not really.” Before Bruce could question him further Dick started to stir.

  
“Bruce?” His voice was filled with the confused grogginess of someone who just woke up. Jason watched his face run through a series of emotions as he came to awareness until he settled on anger. Jason could read most people pretty well though and he thought Dick was the kind of angry that came from feeling hurt. Bruce for his part looked pensive, maybe? Though he suspected he was better than most, Bruce still sometimes tested his better than average people reading abilities.

  
The tension in the air felt close to strangling. Not up to making excuses but feeling a need bordering on panic to leave the room, Jason picked up his book and head towards the door as quickly as he could without making it obvious he was escaping. His hand was almost to the door handle when Bruce called out. “Go to bed Jay. It’s late.” There was something like affection in his voice. Every time Bruce spoke to him like that, like he cared, it surprised and pleased him despite himself. He did not turn around, but gave a nod to indicate he had heard and headed out the door. Walking down the hall his chest felt less tight and not just because he had gotten out. He was going to go to bed (after reading just one more chapter or two) and even if this strange new variable crashing on the library couch made him uneasy; he thought that he just might be able to trust that it would be okay. This was Batman after all. If you could trust anybody, you could trust Batman.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first fanfic and I had a lot of fun writing it. I know it's a bit unresolved but I hope you liked it anyway.


End file.
